Gotye
Encyclopedia
Wouter "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), also known professionally by his stage name Gotye , is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumental musician and singer-songwriter. He has released three studio albums independently
and one remix album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. De Backer is also one-third of Melbourne indie-pop band The Basics
, who have independently released three studio albums and numerous other titles since 2002. He has won five ARIA Awards
and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act
.
in 1980, De Backer moved to Australia
with his family when he was 2 years old. His parents chose to use the English variation of his name, Walter, when enrolling him in school. From early on, De Backer displayed a passion for music, learning various instruments, piano and drums most notably. In his teens, De Backer formed the band Downstares with three of his high school friends, including Lucas Taranto who still plays in his Gotye live shows today. Downstares played shows mainly in the North-Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and were noted for their song-writing maturity and assured live performances. De Backer was the creative force behind the group, and their music reflected his diverse musical tastes, with Depeche Mode
and Kate Bush
among his favourite artists. De Backer graduated from Parade College
in 1998 and was accepted to study Arts/Law at Melbourne University, and a Diploma in Modern Languages (Japanese). He would later discontinue the Law degree and Japanese studies, and complete a Bachelor of Arts, studying mainly cultural studies.
After high school, the members of Downstares went their separate ways, leaving De Backer with no musical outlet. When De Backer's parents moved house in 2001, they left De Backer the family house in Montmorency so he could continue his studies. Two friends moved in with him and the house became affectionately known as 'The Frat House' where friends would regularly drop by and hang out. The first seeds of Gotye were planted when De Backer was given a large collection of old records—an elderly neighbour, whose wife had passed away, had heard Downstares rehearsing over the years and gave his late wife's LP collection to De Backer. As explained by De Backer in a 2010 interview: "I was depressed about the band and desperate to make music, but I didn't see how a drummer could go solo. A friend came round, saw the records and suggested I try sampling them. To cheer myself up, I spent the evening sampling bits of The Police
and Culture Club
. It sounded horrible, but something sparked in me, so for the next few weeks I persevered. By the time I had finished one semi-decent song, I was hooked."
taking notice. This gave De Backer the confidence to continue on with further sample based recordings.
Around this time, De Backer met fellow singer-songwriter Kris Schroeder at a party in Mt. Eliza, and the two began performing together under the name The Basics
. The duo formed an enduring songwriting and performing partnership and became regulars on the live music scene, giving De Backer an outlet for his passion for live performance. The Basics
have continued to tour and record alongside Gotye, releasing four albums between 2004 and 2010.
De Backer went on to produce two more four track Gotye collections which were met with positive reviews, with several tracks getting onto the rotation at Triple J
. The CDs were made in the same style as the first, with De Backer hand crafting each one and tenaciously chasing up every opportunity to get an audience for his work. Interest in the Gotye project was growing, and De Backer was eventually offered a distribution deal for an album, which would essentially be a collection of the tracks from his three earlier releases. This album was released under the name Boardface
in late 2003.
—named in reference to the difficulties De Backer experienced in recording his music in ever-changing environments.
Like Drawing Blood
was featured by Triple J in May 2006 and was voted Number 1 in the listeners poll of the Best Album of 2006. The album was also nominated for a J Award
that year. Two tracks from that album, "Learnalilgivinanlovin
" and "Heart's a Mess", were ranked 94 and 8 respectively in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2006
. Like Drawing Blood has been certified Gold for sales of over 35,000 copies. His first single, "Learnalilgivinanlovin", was released in August 2006.
In September 2006, Gotye was nominated for an ARIA Award
for best independent release for the album Like Drawing Blood. Also in 2006 Gotye won 'Most Outstanding New Independent Artist' at the inaugural Australian Independent Record (AIR) Chart
Awards and Like Drawing Blood was amongst nine shortlisted finalists in the 2006 Australian Music Prize
.
In 2007, De Backer won the ARIA for best male artist. As a result of the publicity of the nomination, Like Drawing Blood re-entered the ARIA albums chart at #36, surpassing the previous peak of #39. Also, Mixed Blood debuted on the ARIA albums chart at #44. Both of these entries came the first week after the ARIA Awards. In 2009, "Heart's a Mess" came in at #77 in Triple J
's Hottest 100 of All Time, voted by the Australian public.
In 2011, Like Drawing Blood came in at #11 in Triple J
's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time.
Amidst the lead-up to Gotye's third album, Like Drawing Blood re-entered the ARIA charts in mid 2011, peaking at its highest ever position of 13.
Music Awards
in the Song of the Year category.
In late March 2011, De Backer revealed the album's title to be Making Mirrors
. This title was inspired by an artwork, painted by De Backer's father in the 1980s, discovered by De Backer amongst old bills and newspapers in his parents' barn, which was later edited in Photoshop to become the album artwork. "The mirror reflects on artwork and it is all very related to self-reflection and introspection on the album." De Backer also revealed the album would see a release in June or July 2011, with a single to precede the release. De Backer also stated that the album would be similar to its predecessor in terms of diversity.
In late April 2011, Gotye was announced as one of the acts at the annual Groovin' the Moo
Music Festival alongside other Australian artists like Birds of Tokyo, Washington, Art vs Science and Architecture in Helsinki.
Gotye was announced to be joining Coldplay
, Kanye West
, Jane's Addiction
, Mogwai
and more at the 2011 Splendour in the Grass
music festival.
On 19 May, it was announced that the album would be released on 19 August 2011, with the album launch the following day at the Sydney Opera House
as part of the Graphic Festival which will feature animators and a 10-piece orchestra as part of Gotye's performance. De Backer also released a follow-up single to "Eyes Wide Open" titled "Somebody That I Used to Know
", which was released 6 July 2011, and debuted at #27 on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. The single became something of a sensation, quickly moving up the ARIA singles chart despite comparatively low airplay to many other charting singles at the time. The track was further boosted by endorsements from well-known celebrities Ashton Kutcher
and Lily Allen
via Twitter
, exposing Gotye's music to their millions of followers. The single has gone on to reach 6× Platinum (420,000 units sold) status, peaking at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, the New Zealand Singles Chart, the Belgian Singles Chart and the Dutch Megacharts.
On 15 July 2011, it was announced that Gotye's single "Somebody That I Used to Know
" had come third in the 2011 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. As part of the prize, Gotye won a spot to perform at Song Summit 2012 at Darling Harbour, 26–28 May 2012.
On 21 July 2011, it was announced that Gotye would be performing at the 16th Homebake
festival on 3 December 2011 at Sydney's Domain.
On its first week of release, Making Mirrors
came in at number one on the ARIA Australian album chart, making Gotye the first Australian act to simultaneously hold both the number one single and album since Silverchair
, who achieved the same feat in 2007.
On 11 October 2011, it was announced that Gotye had been nominated for seven ARIA Awards. Due to the release date restrictions of the eligibility period, Making Mirrors could not be nominated, and the seven nominations all related to the single "Somebody That I Used to Know". Gotye was nominated for Highest Selling Single, Single of the Year, Best Pop Release, Best Male Artist and three awards in the ARIA Artisan category: Best Video (Natasha Pincus), Engineer of the Year (Francois Tetaz) and Producer of the Year (Wally De Backer). On the same day the nominations were revealed, the winners of the Artisan categories were announced, with Gotye and the album personnel winning all three.
On 27 November 2011, Gotye took out three of the four remaining ARIA Award nominations. Single of the Year, Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release. Kimbra
, who collaborated with Gotye on the track Somebody That I Used To Know
, also took the gong for Best Female Artist.
Gotye will be performing at a number of music festivals over the 2011/2012 New Years period, including Field Day in Sydney
.
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
and one remix album featuring remixes of tracks from his first two albums. De Backer is also one-third of Melbourne indie-pop band The Basics
The Basics
The Basics are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, ska, country,...
, who have independently released three studio albums and numerous other titles since 2002. He has won five ARIA Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
and received a nomination for an MTV EMA for Best Asia and Pacific Act
2011 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2011 MTV EMAs were held in Northern Ireland's capital Belfast, on Sunday, November 6, 2011, at the Odyssey Arena in the Titanic Quarter area of the city and were hosted by Selena Gomez...
.
Early life and musical projects
Born in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1980, De Backer moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with his family when he was 2 years old. His parents chose to use the English variation of his name, Walter, when enrolling him in school. From early on, De Backer displayed a passion for music, learning various instruments, piano and drums most notably. In his teens, De Backer formed the band Downstares with three of his high school friends, including Lucas Taranto who still plays in his Gotye live shows today. Downstares played shows mainly in the North-Eastern suburbs of Melbourne and were noted for their song-writing maturity and assured live performances. De Backer was the creative force behind the group, and their music reflected his diverse musical tastes, with Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
among his favourite artists. De Backer graduated from Parade College
Parade College
Parade College, Bundoora, Victoria, is an Australian Roman Catholic all-lads high school, run under the auspices of the Congregation of Christian Brothers.The school was founded by four Christian Brothers in January 1871...
in 1998 and was accepted to study Arts/Law at Melbourne University, and a Diploma in Modern Languages (Japanese). He would later discontinue the Law degree and Japanese studies, and complete a Bachelor of Arts, studying mainly cultural studies.
After high school, the members of Downstares went their separate ways, leaving De Backer with no musical outlet. When De Backer's parents moved house in 2001, they left De Backer the family house in Montmorency so he could continue his studies. Two friends moved in with him and the house became affectionately known as 'The Frat House' where friends would regularly drop by and hang out. The first seeds of Gotye were planted when De Backer was given a large collection of old records—an elderly neighbour, whose wife had passed away, had heard Downstares rehearsing over the years and gave his late wife's LP collection to De Backer. As explained by De Backer in a 2010 interview: "I was depressed about the band and desperate to make music, but I didn't see how a drummer could go solo. A friend came round, saw the records and suggested I try sampling them. To cheer myself up, I spent the evening sampling bits of The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
and Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
. It sounded horrible, but something sparked in me, so for the next few weeks I persevered. By the time I had finished one semi-decent song, I was hooked."
Boardface (2001–2004)
In 2001, De Backer recorded his first tracks primarily using samples. He put together a four track CD which included the song 'Out Here in the Cold'. De Backer made around fifty copies of this first collection, hand writing the track list and colouring in the cover sleeve in pencil. He drew on his cultural history for inspiration when naming his new project—Wouter translates into French as Gaultier (or Gautier or Gauthier) and De Backer's mother used to call him Gaultier as a pet name. He chose his own spelling of this variation and named the project 'Gotye'. De Backer sent the CDs out to every radio station and recording industry contact he could find in the phone book, then followed each up with phone calls to ensure they were delivered. Feedback on the first release was mainly positive, with Melbourne street press and Australian youth radio station Triple JTriple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
taking notice. This gave De Backer the confidence to continue on with further sample based recordings.
Around this time, De Backer met fellow singer-songwriter Kris Schroeder at a party in Mt. Eliza, and the two began performing together under the name The Basics
The Basics
The Basics are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, ska, country,...
. The duo formed an enduring songwriting and performing partnership and became regulars on the live music scene, giving De Backer an outlet for his passion for live performance. The Basics
The Basics
The Basics are a three-piece band from Melbourne, Australia, formed by Wally De Backer and Kris Schroeder in 2002. Their style has been described as anything from 'indie-pop' to 'rock'n'roll' to 'pop-rock', though their records show they span a wide range of genres, including reggae, ska, country,...
have continued to tour and record alongside Gotye, releasing four albums between 2004 and 2010.
De Backer went on to produce two more four track Gotye collections which were met with positive reviews, with several tracks getting onto the rotation at Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
. The CDs were made in the same style as the first, with De Backer hand crafting each one and tenaciously chasing up every opportunity to get an audience for his work. Interest in the Gotye project was growing, and De Backer was eventually offered a distribution deal for an album, which would essentially be a collection of the tracks from his three earlier releases. This album was released under the name Boardface
Boardface
Boardface is Gotye's debut album. It was originally released in 2003, and then re-released as a companion to his follow-up breakthrough album, Like Drawing Blood.-Track listing:# "Out Here in the Cold" – 6:26# "True to You" – 5:09...
in late 2003.
Like Drawing Blood (2006–2009)
In 2004, De Backer's parents opted to sell The Frat House and De Backer moved into a shared house in the South East of Melbourne. He took up work at a local library, while continuing to perform with The Basics and record his own Gotye tracks. Over the next few years, De Backer would move house several times, each time shifting his home recording studio to a new location with new acoustic qualities. The culmination of this was the second Gotye album, Like Drawing BloodLike Drawing Blood
Like Drawing Blood is the second album by Gotye. All the sounds on the album were collected and assembled or performed by Wally De Backer in bedrooms around Melbourne between 2003 and 2005, and the record was mixed and mastered by Franc Tetaz...
—named in reference to the difficulties De Backer experienced in recording his music in ever-changing environments.
Like Drawing Blood
Like Drawing Blood
Like Drawing Blood is the second album by Gotye. All the sounds on the album were collected and assembled or performed by Wally De Backer in bedrooms around Melbourne between 2003 and 2005, and the record was mixed and mastered by Franc Tetaz...
was featured by Triple J in May 2006 and was voted Number 1 in the listeners poll of the Best Album of 2006. The album was also nominated for a J Award
J Award
The J Award is an award given by influential Australian youth radio station Triple J to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by a panel of members of the music industry, led by Richard Kingsmill...
that year. Two tracks from that album, "Learnalilgivinanlovin
Learnalilgivinanlovin
"Learnalilgivinanlovin" is a song by the Belgium-born Australian musician Gotye from their second studio album Like Drawing Blood released as a single in 2006.-Background:...
" and "Heart's a Mess", were ranked 94 and 8 respectively in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2006
Triple J Hottest 100, 2006
The 2006 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on Australia Day, 26 January 2007. It is the fourteenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, as voted by listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J....
. Like Drawing Blood has been certified Gold for sales of over 35,000 copies. His first single, "Learnalilgivinanlovin", was released in August 2006.
In September 2006, Gotye was nominated for an ARIA Award
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
for best independent release for the album Like Drawing Blood. Also in 2006 Gotye won 'Most Outstanding New Independent Artist' at the inaugural Australian Independent Record (AIR) Chart
AIR Charts
The AIR Charts are the official sales charts for Australian independent music released by Australian owned, independent record labels. Presented by AIR, the Australian Independent Record Labels Association, the charts are calculated according to official sales figures provided by the ARIA Charts,...
Awards and Like Drawing Blood was amongst nine shortlisted finalists in the 2006 Australian Music Prize
Australian Music Prize
The Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award made by Australian Music Prize Ltd, a sole-purpose entity sponsored by a variety of music industry figures and...
.
In 2007, De Backer won the ARIA for best male artist. As a result of the publicity of the nomination, Like Drawing Blood re-entered the ARIA albums chart at #36, surpassing the previous peak of #39. Also, Mixed Blood debuted on the ARIA albums chart at #44. Both of these entries came the first week after the ARIA Awards. In 2009, "Heart's a Mess" came in at #77 in Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Hottest 100 of All Time, voted by the Australian public.
In 2011, Like Drawing Blood came in at #11 in Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time.
Amidst the lead-up to Gotye's third album, Like Drawing Blood re-entered the ARIA charts in mid 2011, peaking at its highest ever position of 13.
Making Mirrors (2010–present)
After the success of Like Drawing Blood, De Backer was able to establish a permanent home, still in Melbourne's South East. In 2010, De Backer set up a recording studio in a barn at his parents' farm and set about recording tracks for his third album. He released a new single, "Eyes Wide Open", in mid-October 2010, online and on 10" vinyl. The "Eyes Wide Open" single received generally positive reviews and reached number 25 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2010. "Eyes Wide Open" was also shortlisted for the 2011 APRAAustralasian Performing Right Association
The Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
Music Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
in the Song of the Year category.
In late March 2011, De Backer revealed the album's title to be Making Mirrors
Making Mirrors
Making Mirrors is the third studio album by the Belgian-born Australian musician Gotye. The album was released on August 19, 2011.-History:...
. This title was inspired by an artwork, painted by De Backer's father in the 1980s, discovered by De Backer amongst old bills and newspapers in his parents' barn, which was later edited in Photoshop to become the album artwork. "The mirror reflects on artwork and it is all very related to self-reflection and introspection on the album." De Backer also revealed the album would see a release in June or July 2011, with a single to precede the release. De Backer also stated that the album would be similar to its predecessor in terms of diversity.
In late April 2011, Gotye was announced as one of the acts at the annual Groovin' the Moo
Groovin' the Moo
Groovin' The Moo is an annual music festival held at various 'regional centres' across Australia during the middle of the year.-History:The first incarnation of the festival occurred on the 24th of April 2005 at the Gloucester Showgrounds with crowds of over 1400, continuing to Narrandera with...
Music Festival alongside other Australian artists like Birds of Tokyo, Washington, Art vs Science and Architecture in Helsinki.
Gotye was announced to be joining Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
, Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
and more at the 2011 Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
music festival.
On 19 May, it was announced that the album would be released on 19 August 2011, with the album launch the following day at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
as part of the Graphic Festival which will feature animators and a 10-piece orchestra as part of Gotye's performance. De Backer also released a follow-up single to "Eyes Wide Open" titled "Somebody That I Used to Know
Somebody That I Used to Know
"Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song by Australian-Belgian singer and songwriter Gotye from his third studio album Making Mirrors, and features New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was written by Gotye himself, lyrically about his experiences he had in broken relationships...
", which was released 6 July 2011, and debuted at #27 on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. The single became something of a sensation, quickly moving up the ARIA singles chart despite comparatively low airplay to many other charting singles at the time. The track was further boosted by endorsements from well-known celebrities Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
and Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, exposing Gotye's music to their millions of followers. The single has gone on to reach 6× Platinum (420,000 units sold) status, peaking at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, the New Zealand Singles Chart, the Belgian Singles Chart and the Dutch Megacharts.
On 15 July 2011, it was announced that Gotye's single "Somebody That I Used to Know
Somebody That I Used to Know
"Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song by Australian-Belgian singer and songwriter Gotye from his third studio album Making Mirrors, and features New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was written by Gotye himself, lyrically about his experiences he had in broken relationships...
" had come third in the 2011 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. As part of the prize, Gotye won a spot to perform at Song Summit 2012 at Darling Harbour, 26–28 May 2012.
On 21 July 2011, it was announced that Gotye would be performing at the 16th Homebake
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...
festival on 3 December 2011 at Sydney's Domain.
On its first week of release, Making Mirrors
Making Mirrors
Making Mirrors is the third studio album by the Belgian-born Australian musician Gotye. The album was released on August 19, 2011.-History:...
came in at number one on the ARIA Australian album chart, making Gotye the first Australian act to simultaneously hold both the number one single and album since Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
, who achieved the same feat in 2007.
On 11 October 2011, it was announced that Gotye had been nominated for seven ARIA Awards. Due to the release date restrictions of the eligibility period, Making Mirrors could not be nominated, and the seven nominations all related to the single "Somebody That I Used to Know". Gotye was nominated for Highest Selling Single, Single of the Year, Best Pop Release, Best Male Artist and three awards in the ARIA Artisan category: Best Video (Natasha Pincus), Engineer of the Year (Francois Tetaz) and Producer of the Year (Wally De Backer). On the same day the nominations were revealed, the winners of the Artisan categories were announced, with Gotye and the album personnel winning all three.
On 27 November 2011, Gotye took out three of the four remaining ARIA Award nominations. Single of the Year, Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release. Kimbra
Kimbra
Kimbra Johnson , known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer/songwriter from Hamilton, New Zealand. She is currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Kimbra's debut album Vows was released on 29 August 2011 in New Zealand, and 2 September 2011 in Australia on Warner Bros...
, who collaborated with Gotye on the track Somebody That I Used To Know
Somebody That I Used to Know
"Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song by Australian-Belgian singer and songwriter Gotye from his third studio album Making Mirrors, and features New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was written by Gotye himself, lyrically about his experiences he had in broken relationships...
, also took the gong for Best Female Artist.
Gotye will be performing at a number of music festivals over the 2011/2012 New Years period, including Field Day in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Studio albums
| Album title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... s (thresholds) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
BEL (Vl) Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
BEL (Wa) Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... |
NL MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
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| Boardface Boardface Boardface is Gotye's debut album. It was originally released in 2003, and then re-released as a companion to his follow-up breakthrough album, Like Drawing Blood.-Track listing:# "Out Here in the Cold" – 6:26# "True to You" – 5:09... |
|
93 |
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| Like Drawing Blood Like Drawing Blood Like Drawing Blood is the second album by Gotye. All the sounds on the album were collected and assembled or performed by Wally De Backer in bedrooms around Melbourne between 2003 and 2005, and the record was mixed and mastered by Franc Tetaz... |
Creative Vibes Creative Vibes is a record label that sources, signs and releases local Australian acts. It also licenses material from overseas and imports CDs and vinyl from around the world and has its own sales and distribution arm.... Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
13 | — | — | — | — | AUS: Platinum |
| Making Mirrors Making Mirrors Making Mirrors is the third studio album by the Belgian-born Australian musician Gotye. The album was released on August 19, 2011.-History:... |
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1 | 3 | 39 | 6 | 1 | AUS: 2× Platinum |
Other albums
| Album Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
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| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
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| Mixed Blood Mixed Blood (album) Mixed Blood is a remix and cover album of songs originally by Gotye. All the songs are from his album Like Drawing Blood, except for "The Only Thing I Know" and "Out of My Mind", which come from Gotye's debut album Boardface.... |
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64 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... s (thresholds) |
Album | ||||
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| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
BEL (Vl) Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
BEL (WA) Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
NLD MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
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| 2006 | "Learnalilgivinanlovin Learnalilgivinanlovin "Learnalilgivinanlovin" is a song by the Belgium-born Australian musician Gotye from their second studio album Like Drawing Blood released as a single in 2006.-Background:... " |
— | 60 | — | — | — | Like Drawing Blood | |
| 2007 | "Hearts a Mess Hearts a Mess "Hearts a Mess" is a song by the Belgium-born Australian musician Gotye from his second studio album Like Drawing Blood, released as a single in 2007.-Music video:... " |
82 | 53 | — | — | — | ||
| 2010 | "Eyes Wide Open Eyes Wide Open (Gotye song) "Eyes Wide Open" is a song by the Belgium-born Australian musician Gotye from his third studio album Making Mirrors, it was released as a Digital download on 5 November 2010 in Australia. The song was written and produced by Gotye... " |
55 | — | — | — | — | Making Mirrors | |
| 2011 | "Somebody That I Used to Know Somebody That I Used to Know "Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song by Australian-Belgian singer and songwriter Gotye from his third studio album Making Mirrors, and features New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was written by Gotye himself, lyrically about his experiences he had in broken relationships... " (featuring Kimbra Kimbra Kimbra Johnson , known mononymously as Kimbra, is a New Zealand singer/songwriter from Hamilton, New Zealand. She is currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Kimbra's debut album Vows was released on 29 August 2011 in New Zealand, and 2 September 2011 in Australia on Warner Bros... ) |
1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
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| "Easy Way Out" * (UK Release Only) |
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Soundtracks
- Whip It: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2009) – "Learnalilgivinanlovin"
- Going the DistanceGoing the Distance (2010 film)Going the Distance is a 2010 romantic comedy film directed by Nanette Burstein, and starring Justin Long and Drew Barrymore. The movie began filming in New York City in July 2009, and was released on September 3, 2010.-Plot:...
: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2010) – "Learnalilgivinanlovin"
External links
- Official Gotye website
- Official Basics website
- Web page on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Web page on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Eleanor Conway Presents: Gotye Video Interview on music.virgin.com
- 2007 interview
- Review of Like Drawing Blood at rockfeedback.com
- "At the top with eyes wide open for Gotye" on The AustralianThe AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
web site.